Phantine Air Corp: Tornado's are coming!

                     Since today is July 4th, I've decided to bring you another Phantine Air Corp article. Long time readers of the blog will note that on July 4th, we here at Behind the Lines celebrate American Independence Day. The last few times have been about the Phantine as seen here and here as examples. So we figured we would continue the tradition of talking about airplanes and paratroopers.

Well a while back, I joined the 40k Aeronautica group on Facebook. This group is all about the Air Club. People post their own home made aircraft as well as official GW / FW models.Its a very exciting group to be a part of. The community is great and the admin team is super. Since aviation has always been one of my interest, it seemed like a natural fit for me. Warhammer 40k and airplanes? Whats not to like!

One of the admin had some skills with 3D design and set about designing his own aircraft to use in 40k. This quickly took off (groan I know) and in time the group had funded the design. The admin promised not only patches, but also buttons, pins, and a full model of his first design. The "Tornado" fighter.

The community came together and with the promise of a new aircraft, we set about making it happen. This project will be the first of hopefully many new designs. It  has tightened the community together. The Admin team has already started working on new designs and future aircraft that they hope to be able to bring to the table top.

Lets talk about my experience as a backer. Although the wait was long, it was worth it. This was the first true "community supported" project that I have backed. However, when the cast came in, the models were shipped very fast. The admin team has kept everyone up to date on the process and the project.

 When I got my model about three days later It arrived in a standard packing box. It was in a baggy with not only the model pieces but also my backer rewards. After washing the model pieces in warm soapy water, I sent the model to a friend to assemble. This was because at the moment, I was working on the Blood Pact Commission, which I hope I will be posting more of soon. After it was assembled and primed it was sent back to me. What I got back in return was less than perfect. The model had been rushed and the tail was bent.

I stripped the model and took it apart over the course of a few days. Then after everything was apart, I set about reassembling it. The model is easy to put together. It holds together very well. It does not eat a lot of glue, so you can fit things together quickly. My advice would be to use very little glue in assembly. A little will go a long way on this project.

It should be noted that this project does not come with missiles, bombs ect. You will need to have your own or buy some from other sources. I used GW Valkyrie missiles for mine in my second build. The Original build my friend used was the GW Chimera missiles. Both will work.

It must be noted that this model is MUCH smaller than a GW Thunderbolt or Valkyrie. I like it however. It looks like a fast air to air fighter that it is mean to be.

 I haven't had time to airbrush or paint the model since it was reassembled. Life has been very busy as of late.I hope to break out my airbrush and get some work done soon.

Now I would like to take some time and talk about how this model will be used on the table.

It could be either a Lightening or a Thunderbolt depending upon the players wants. Im going to run it as a Lightening fighter since I own two thunderbolts already. This Lightening will be a part of the Phantine XIX. Also known as "Orbis" Squadron.

 In the books, Orbis squadron was described as deep grey with their fins and tails painted a deep blue. For this aircraft, Im planning to use my standard mix of Basalt Grey from Vallejo for the body and then use a GW Kantor Blue for the blues. The Cockpit will be a mix of many blues that I have collected over the years. For the engines, I will be using a gold color.

To all my fellow Americans, Happy 4th of July! and to the rest of the world Happy Wednesday!

Leave a comment, say hello or just let us know you were here. We enjoy hearing from you. Also check out our Patreon page. Even a 1$ per month would help us bring you new content. If you like what you see please consider donating. Every little bit helps.

If you want to pick up your own Tornado then head over here

Until next time!

Read more »

Commission: Blood Pact Infantry

First 5 members of the squad

"They hide their faces in snarling iron, but the cruelty in their hearts is manifest in their burtual deeds. We are lost and we are done. May the God-Emperor forgive our failure and protect our souls." - Last Transmission of General DeLesstt, Urdesh

Back of the first 5 members. Notice the cloak done up in the style of my Tanith

So I've been commissioned again and this time Im painting Chaos. I never really thought I would paint chaos. However since this commission was something that was close to the Gaunt's Ghost series, I decided that it would be fun to paint. The Blood Pact are the main villains of the Gaunt's Ghost Series. A chaos force that has built itself up as a massive threat to the Imperium in the Sabbat Worlds. Having read the entire series, I was excited to paint red, lots and lots of red after painting my Tanith army for so long.

These traitors are the first squad of Matt's new Blood pact army. In order to get them ready, I ordered them from Mad Robot Miniatures. His Crimson Pak models make perfect Blood pact! Next I washed the models in warm water and soap. After a 24 hour wash, I dried them out and prepared them for paint. After a lot of intense airbrushing, I saw these models primed and readied for paint. After they dried, I started to add the base colors. I used Vallejo red for the base.I then used Vallejo Black-grey for all the black colors.After a Nuln wash, I then highlighted the reds and blacks. The bronze was Games workshop Bronze and the silvers were Vallejo silver and Vallejo chainmail. Both colors were to help the models look closer to their artwork. Sharp eyed viewers will notice that I added some dead Tanith models onto the bases and that the sergeant is wearing a ripped Tanith cloak. This was a request by Matt, both as a personal joke against my Tanith army and as a way to connect our two armies together from the book material.

Second 5 members of the squad

My poor attempt at Photoshop

To complete the look of the models, I added in a special "blood wash".  Since I dont have Games workshop paints available to me here, I mixed my own paint using Nuln oil, agrax earthshade, 4 different types of reds and lots of matte mediums. It worked very well I think.

Back view

Matt did request that I not base these models since he wants to add them onto his chaos army. However, the few pieces of Tanith bodies, stocks, and guns helps to make the model feel as if it is on the battlefield. In the future, he hopes to commission me again. Eventually this army will grow into a full force. One that will rival my Tanith on the tabletop. Matt has already started talking to me about doing a few Blood pact Chimera for him in order to transport this squad across the battlefield. Before too long we might see a few Leman Russ Tanks.


Now onto other news. We here at Behind the Lines have set up a Patreon page. This Patreon would to support us in bringing you new content such as painting tutorials, gaming reviews, blog post and eventually videos. If you would like to support us please head over to here. Even 1$ a month would help us out to bring you more content. The team has been gearing up to add a lot of new content that we are excited about.

As always, leave a comment, say hello or just let us know you were here. If you would like to get a commission price as well you can message us here or on Patreon.

Until Next time!

Read more »